ST. PAUL, Minn. - North Dakota senior forward Matt Frattin has been named one of 10 national finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the most outstanding player in NCAA Division I men's hockey.

Frattin, the 2010-11 Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Player of the Year, leads the nation with 33 goals and entered the week tied for the WCHA overall scoring lead with 54 points. The Edmonton, Alberta, native was also named to the All-WCHA First Team after winning the WCHA scoring race with 40 points in 28 league games.

The only 30-goal scorer in the nation this season, Frattin entered the week with four more goals than any other Division I player, and eight more than any other WCHA player. His 54 points are tied for third nationally and he enters the 2011 Red Baron WCHA Final Five on a career-long 11-game scoring streak, amassing 13 goals and 24 points during that time.

Frattin's 40 points during league play were the most by a Sioux since Jeff Panzer (49 points) and Bryan Lundbohm (40) in 2000-01, enabling him to become UND's first WCHA scoring champion since Ryan Duncan in 2006-07. His 33 goals are the most by a Sioux since All-American Brandon Bochenski scored 35 in 2002-03, and he has scored 44 goals in his last 52 games.

Earlier this season, Frattin scored a goal in eight straight games, tying the fourth-longest such streak in UND history. He has 14 multi-point games and has gone consecutive games without a point on only two occasions. A two-time WCHA Offensive Player of the Week, Frattin has scored a pair of hat tricks this season and leads the team with four unassisted goals.

A recreation and tourism studies major with a 3.0-plus grade point average, Frattin was named to his second All-WCHA Academic Team earlier this week. He was also named to UND's Athletics Director's Fall 2010 Honor Roll.

Frattin has been an active member of the Grand Forks community, volunteering his time to several organizations including Northlands Rescue Mission, Grand Forks Park District, Sioux Kids Club and the UND Foundation.

A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Frattin is UND's first Hobey Baker finalist since T.J. Oshie and Jean-Philippe Lamoureux were both named in 2007-08, and is the program's 21st finalist since the award's inception in 1979-80.

The top ten list is compiled from balloting from all 58 Division I college hockey head coaches and by an on-line fan ballot at hobeybakeraward.com. The top ten list will now be voted on by the 23-member selection committee and a second round of fan balloting to determine the ‘Hobey Hat Trick' of three finalists for this year's Hobey Baker Award. The three finalists will be announced March 31.

The Hobey Baker Award announcement will come on Friday, April 8 at 5 p.m. Central from St. Paul, Minn., the site of this year's NCAA Frozen Four Championship. The announcement will be televised live on ESPNU.